SVSU continued conference play last week with a pair of home losses to the Grand Valley Lakers on Thursday, Feb. 14, and the GLIAC-leading Davenport Panthers on Saturday, Feb. 16.
The Cardinals had looked to continue improving their record after splitting games last week in the Upper Peninsula but ultimately fell to 8-17 overall and 4-13 in GLIAC play.
Thursday’s game against the Lakers was a very competitive one that had a lot of scoring in the first half.
Led by freshman guard Myles Beyleu and sophomore guard Darnell Hoskins Jr., the Cardinals shot just over 47 percent from three to put them up by seven with under 10 minutes to play in the first half.
The back-and-forth scoring continued until the half was over, sending the Cardinals to the locker room with a 37-36 lead.
The second half saw more of the same, with both teams trading leads after Grand Valley took the early one-point lead right out of halftime.
The Lakers separated themselves as time went on, pulling away from the Cardinals, outscoring them 45-27.
The Cardinals dropped the rivalry game against the Lakers, 81-64.
Beyleu led the way with 21 points and eight assists.
The Saturday matchup featured SVSU against the league-leading Panthers.
DU never trailed in the game, and at one point held an 11-point lead against the Cards in the first half. However, behind a valiant effort by Hoskins and company, SVSU cut the lead to four going into halftime.
The second half saw even more competitive play from the Cardinals. They knotted up the lead at 35 early in the second half. Davenport eventually worked their way back.
The Cardinals would not quit, however.
Hoskins netted seven straight points to cut the lead down to three with under 30 seconds left to go. But the Cardinals were forced to foul the Panthers, and the Panthers converted the late free throws to seal the game and win by a score of 75-68.
Hoskins took control of the game with a career-high 27 points. He also added two assists and two steals.
Head coach Randy Baruth held his head high after a week of tough losses, confident that his team will pick up the pieces and keep moving forward.
“(I) am very proud of the way the team fought this week,” Baruth said. “(We) had some very tough opponents and played well. There was just a few plays that separated us in the end.”
The Cardinals are set to face off against the Wayne State Warriors at home Thursday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. They also play at home on Saturday, Feb. 23, at 3 p.m. against the Ashland Eagles.
Reported by Marq Williams, Vanguard Reporter
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